Wastewater drip dispersal systems utilize tubing with small drip emitters to disperse wastewater into the soil. The emitters operate properly within a defined pressure range. If the pressure is too high, the tubing and connections can be damaged and, if the pressure is low, the emitters will not function properly. The effluent pressure in the tubing is currently regulated by one of a number of methods, each of which presents its own problems.
In one method, the effluent pressure in the tubing is regulated by utilizing rigid design parameters. However, rigid design parameters are sometimes difficult to meet during installation of system due to actual field conditions. According to another method, the effluent pressure in the tubing is regulated with a pressure regulator installed in the supply header between the pump and the tubing. In this case the pressure regulator regulates pressure by restricting flow, which does not allow the excess flow to be used for cleaning the tubing through a continuous flushing action.
Furthermore, the effluent in the tubing can be regulated by means of a manually adjusted bypass valve installed in either the supply header or the return header. This valve is generally a pvc ball-valve manually set to retain the desired pressure in the tubing while allowing any excess flow to bypass back to the source tank. Here, if pump or filter conditions cause pressure fluctuation then the operation of the manually operated ball-valve setting becomes incorrect and creates either high- or low-pressure situations. Moreover, at the beginning of a dosing cycle, the drip tubing needs to pressure up quickly in order to ensure even distribution through the tubing emitters. A manually preset ball-valve hinders quick pressurization because it allows a continuous bypass of the effluent at all pressure ranges.